Cocaine Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Cocaine addiction is a major problem at the heart of many people’s lives. Seeking a helping hand to pull you out of the cold grasp of addiction and towards the healing powers of cocaine addiction treatment is not a simple feat. It is, indeed, a life-changing decision – something that will influence the trajectory of your personal, professional, and spiritual life for years to come. The caring, knowledgeable, and resourceful staff here at Alta Mira Recovery can aid in guiding you towards a lasting recovery.

Cocaine Addiction and Culture-at-Large: The Rise of Cocaine

Cocaine is the ever-present white powder that fueled the cinema of the 1970s and 1980s. It is a highly-addictive drug—derived directly from coca leaves—that has been consumed for thousands of years. This elusive drug was even used in Coca-Cola for a brief time throughout the late 1800s due to cocaine’s believed medicinal benefits. Although cocaine has been elevated to a “high class drug” status in our cultural mindset over the last several decades, we must look at and examine this drug without a set of rose-tinted glasses.

The truth is simple: cocaine is dangerous for the minds and bodies of the people who use it, and can also have a dramatic and lasting impact on others in their lives. The sad reality is that cocaine addiction treatment has become one of the most necessary forms of drug addiction treatment in the United States. What’s the reason behind this phenomenon? Why has the need for cocaine addiction treatment grown to such substantial proportions amongst the populace? The reason behind this can easily be reduced to one word: availability. Cocaine has become much more widely available, and as a result, living with its negative effects in exchange for its quick, addictive high have become the norm for many individuals.

What Exactly is Cocaine?

Simply put—cocaine is an incredibly addictive stimulant that affects the brain, making its users feel euphoric. The drug heightens an individual’s physical and mental pleasure. In addition, the effects of cocaine only last for about an hour, which allows for an easy avenue to abuse as users must repeatedly use the drug many times to stay high for just a few hours. It is easy to see why many people from all walks of life become addicted to cocaine.

To best understand cocaine addiction treatment and determine if it is right for you, it helps to distinguish between the forms in which cocaine is available – cocaine powder and crack cocaine – both of which are incredibly powerful and controlling. Learning more about the negative effects of both types of cocaine can help an individual avoid the drug from the very beginning, or help an individual better understand the type of cocaine addiction treatment best-suited to their needs.

Cocaine Powder: Cocaine in its powder form can be snorted or injected directly into the bloodstream, which means that it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes to result in a high. It is also important to note that powdered cocaine can be incredibly expensive. Although powder cocaine is more expensive, the high lasts for a significantly longer period of time—ranging from 30 to 90 minutes.

Crack Cocaine: Crack cocaine is in many ways more addicting than cocaine in powder from due to its strength. Crack cocaine is crafted by mixing powder cocaine, water, and baking soda until it forms a solid, rock-like substance. Cocaine in its rock form is typically smoked, which leads to instant results. Unlike powder cocaine, crack cocaine’s high does not last very long—usually around 10-15 minutes. The fact that the high produced by crack cocaine fades rather quickly can potentially lead to even greater usage and abuse.

If you or someone you love is suffering from cocaine abuse or cocaine addiction, what symptoms should you be looking for?

Cocaine Abuse and Addiction Symptoms

Cocaine addiction treatment is something that should not be taken lightly. It is often what determines how an individual’s life will develop from the point of cocaine addiction onwards. It is important to understand that cocaine is seen as being attractive because of the boost it can have on an individual’s mood and energy, something we seemingly prize at any cost in America. No matter the energy increase, no matter the elevated mood, the havoc cocaine will wreak on your mind, body, and life is anything but positive. The addiction that accompanies cocaine has many signs and symptoms that can be devastating for the user.

Typical signs and symptoms of cocaine/crack abuse and addiction may include:

Continuation of cocaine use even though the consequences are known or present (includes social, financial, physical, and mental/psychological problems)

If you or someone you love are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, cocaine addiction treatment may be the right option for you. Taking the first step and consulting a medical and psychological professional is what will determine if addiction treatment is needed.

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Do I Need Treatment for My Cocaine Addiction?

Cocaine use generally starts out as a voluntary activity that can turn into a dependence that can rule your whole life. Whether you snort, inject, or smoke cocaine, the risk of addiction is high. It’s very likely that if you’ve used it more than a few times, you know that the effects can be long lasting. If you’ve thought about doing just “one more” bump after a cocaine binge, use cocaine to combat negative emotions like depression, or use it in such a way that it increases certain feelings like hyperactivity or talkativeness, you may very well be abusing or dependent on cocaine.

If you’re thinking about cocaine treatment, you can always call the representatives at Alta Mira Recovery to learn more about how cocaine affects you and your life. We have a variety of treatment options available including detox, inpatient care, outpatient treatment, and other therapies designed for your total well-being. Read on to learn more about cocaine to see if you or someone you know may be in need of treatment.

Dealing with Withdrawal Symptoms

If it is determined that residential cocaine addiction treatment is the right avenue for you, inpatient detoxing will often be the first step in striving for recovery. While cocaine withdrawal does have some noticeable physical side effects that fluctuate in intensity from person to person, it is the mental side effects that make it so important to detox in a safe environment like Alta Mira Recovery. It is important for an individual who has their sights on sobriety to receive cocaine withdrawal treatment from professionals who understand that using more cocaine to aid in the withdrawal process is not the correct mindset to have while in recovery, a dangerous weaning method many employ when detoxing on their own.

Primary symptoms of cocaine withdrawal often include:

Restless behavior

Depressive episodes

Mental and physical fatigue

Vivid and unpleasant nightmares

Intense cravings

The staff at Alta Mira Recovery will do everything in our capabilities to ensure that your cocaine withdrawal treatment will help you achieve the next stage of recovery as comfortably as possible.

What Comes After Detox?

The type of cocaine addiction treatment you decide to seek depends on your individual needs and circumstances. Always keep this in mind: the best treatment options for cocaine will depend on your unique situation. Making the decision to commit to cocaine addiction treatment is no small personal victory on your path to recovery, and we are here to help ensure that you have all the tools necessary to stay focused on your continued sobriety.

In addition to cocaine withdrawal treatment, our comprehensive cocaine addiction treatment plan features the following services:

Cocaine Inpatient Treatment: Oftentimes an inpatient treatment center is the most appropriate option for both the detox process and re-learning how to live drug-free. This is the point in the process that individualized treatment plans and therapy become part of the lifelong recovery plan.

Continuing Sobriety: When you leave an inpatient treatment plan, it is important to continue to support your recovery through ongoing continuing care programs, including free weekly support groups, quarterly renewals, and regular check-ins.

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Treatment Options

Firstly, a heavy or long-term user of cocaine may need to undergo detoxification in order to clear the drug from his or her system and begin to think clearly. A person with a clear head can be more receptive to prolonged treatment. Some think that detox is a singular step; they believe that once you’re done with it, you can go home and live life normally. For more people, this is not true. Generally, detox serves as an initial treatment step in a broader recovery plan.

In conjunction with detox, it is important to get help for any co-occurring mental illnesses. Actually, when it comes down to it, getting help for mental health can be an excellent step in treating cocaine addiction, even if you do not have a diagnosed mental health disorder. Why? Because cocaine’s effects on the brain last longer than the drug does in the body; even long after the drug exits the body, the cravings for cocaine can remain.

Cognitive and behavioral therapies are great choices in finding and developing a treatment plan. Other therapies include 12-step programs and residential communities. Sometimes being in the company of like-minded people committed to recovery can be a vital support in helping a person achieve sobriety.

The treatment plan that is best for you depends on you and your addiction. Only by visiting a treatment facility can you discover how severe your addiction is, how cocaine has already affected your mind and body, and how you can get clean for good. Alta Mira Recovery has professional and licensed doctors, nurses, and psychologists who are experts in dealing with addiction. Let us customize a treatment plan to fit your needs so you can start living the life you were meant to.

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